Chapter 58: Ask the Great Han to Die

——The balance of offense and defense has shifted.

The Huang Jin commanders never anticipated such a rapid turn of events.

They had just won a great victory!

Could this great victory be utterly reversed simply because of Gu Xi's arrival?

Among the Yellow Turbans, unrest stirred.

Some followers even bound their own commanders and came forward to surrender!

This dealt a fatal blow to the entire Huang Jin army.

Ye City.

The atmosphere was slightly serious.

The Huang Jin commanders were reporting the recent situation before Zhang Jiao.

"Lord of the Dao, the hearts of our followers are in chaos; the situation is perilous and beyond control."

One commander's face was filled with anxiety, his voice trembling with unmistakable fear, like a bird startled by an arrow.

"Rumors about Lord Gu have spread rapidly among our followers; no matter how hard we try, we cannot stop them."

"In recent days, more and more followers have defected to the enemy—how shall we handle this if it continues?"

"Lord, some of my followers have begged to withdraw, refusing to fight Lord Gu."

The commanders spoke one after another, each face etched with unease.

Not only their followers, but even they themselves had been affected.

"No wonder he is Lord Gu," Zhang Jiao sighed softly, "Such prestige—who in the world can match him?"

"Lord, what should we do? Should we retreat?" someone asked urgently.

The Yellow Turbans' main problem lies here: their members' abilities are wildly uneven, and they lack top-tier talent.

In just a few short days, the unrest in morale had already spread to the commanders themselves.

"Retreat?" Zhang Jiao immediately frowned, glancing at the commander, his voice deep and firm, "For us, only death in battle."

The commanders' faces changed instantly.

Zhang Jiao nodded slightly, scanning them, and continued, "Lord Gu's prestige is indeed overwhelming; if this continues, our army's morale will collapse."

"Then defeat will come like a mountain falling."

He paused, his gaze sharpening, "But only one battle is needed."

"If we can defeat Lord Gu once, the morale of Han armies everywhere will shatter."

"Then we can…"

Slowly extending his hand, he clenched it into a fist before their stunned stares, "Strike straight at the dragon's lair—take Luoyang and secure the realm!"

The atmosphere abruptly changed.

All stared at Zhang Jiao, eyes gleaming, bodies trembling involuntarily.

Greed is one of humanity's fundamental traits.

The gambler's spirit is too.

Zhang Jiao's two simple sentences instantly awakened the greed in their hearts.

The Huang Jin masses outnumber the Han troops;

They have repeatedly captured cities and strongholds—the Han's might is nothing special;

Gu Xi is nearly ninety years old;

Once they storm Luoyang, no matter their former status, they will become nobles and princes.

Thoughts surged through their minds; their expressions shifted dramatically.

Zhang Jiao watched them, as if seeing through them, and spoke again: "Lord Gu may be capable, but the Yellow Heaven will protect us!"

"Issue orders!"

"Send a letter to Lord Gu, challenging him to battle!"

"Build an altar—I shall perform a sacrifice among the troops to rally our morale!"

Zhang Jiao's voice grew firmer and stronger.

He seemed able to stir emotions with ease; a few words sufficed to rouse their spirits.

The news spread instantly.

This was destined to be an event that would shake the entire realm!

Zhang Jiao held a grand sacrifice on the Zhanghe, aiming to ignite the Yellow Turbans' morale completely.

This move did have some effect.

Omen-worship and superstition are enduring flaws of this age.

Zhang Jiao clearly intended to exploit this—to boost morale before battle, so they could face Gu Xi at full strength.

Such a commotion naturally reached Gu Xi's ears.

Recalling past events, Lu Zhi hurried to warn Gu Xi to beware of Zhang Jiao's desperate attack.

But Gu Xi said nothing; he simply handed the letter to him and told him to read it himself.

"Hss…" Lu Zhi drew in a sharp breath upon reading the letter, astonished: "Grand Tutor, this—"

Faced with such a momentous matter, Lu Zhi grew tense.

He was not truly such a weak man.

But this matter was simply too grave—if a battle truly erupted and anything went wrong, it could shake Luoyang itself.

How could Lu Zhi remain calm?

"Master Lu, may this student see the letter?" Liu Bei spoke suddenly from behind him.

Perhaps it was because he had been praised by Gu Xi.

These past few days, Lu Zhi had kept him by his side at all times, valuing him greatly.

Hearing this, Lu Zhi glanced at Gu Xi. Seeing that Gu Xi did not object, he handed the letter to Liu Bei.

Gu Wei watched Liu Bei with great interest, seemingly trying to read some surprise on Liu Bei's face, but Liu Bei's expression did not change.

He merely furrowed his brow slightly, bowed to Gu Xi, and then began his analysis:

"Grand Tutor, the Huang Jin army is many, while our forces are few."

"If mishaps truly occur, the losses will outweigh the gains."

Gu Wei watched Liu Bei with great interest, gaining a bit of curiosity toward this person who was about his own age.

Lately, he had already met quite a few interesting fellows.

Whether it was the sons of several noble houses who had followed him earlier, or Liu Bei standing before him now.

Small Small Yugu Wei's eyes, all of them could be called dragons and phoenixes among men.

Gu Xi, too, listened to Liu Bei's analysis with great interest, forming a deeper judgment of Liu Bei's character.

For Liu Bei to be able to say such things at his age could indeed count as some measure of talent.

But in Gu Xi's eyes, it was still far too immature.

What he said was almost entirely an analysis built from knowledge in military treatises combined with the present situation.

Once Liu Bei finished speaking, Gu Xi nodded, first showing his approval.

"What you've said is indeed not bad."

"As for military strategy, our army has just suffered a great defeat, and the enemy is many while we are few — this is not the time to seek battle."

Gu Xi's tone paused, and he said lightly, "Yet military treatises always have their exceptions."

"Such as now."

He did not continue further, but let Liu Bei ponder it on his own.

He merely waved his hand, summoning Lu Zhi over.

Then he leaned close to the latter's ear and whispered a few words.

Lu Zhi's expression immediately shifted slightly.

He promptly cupped his hands and led Liu Bei out of the camp.

"This fellow is quite a character himself."

Liu Bei had only just stepped out of the tent when Gu Wei could not help but speak up.

"How does he compare with the Cao Mengde, Yuan Gonglu, Yuan Benchu, and others you mentioned before?"

Gu Xi looked at him and asked softly.

During this period, Gu Wei had been in contact with these people and had already mentioned quite a few names to Gu Xi in succession.

He seemed to possess a certain measure of judgment when it came to reading people.

He had, one might say, befriended every extraordinary person of roughly his own age.

This was also tied to his status — after all, being a child of the Gu clan gave him a natural advantage in this regard.

Hearing this, Gu Wei frowned slightly.

After a long silence, he finally shook his head slightly: "As things stand now, each has his own strengths; they cannot be compared."

"Remember the personalities and traits of these people."

Gu Xi paid it no mind, using this to educate Gu Wei: "In the future, they may well be your opponents, or even your friends."

"The world of today is truly extraordinary."

"I observe that many possess great talent; I expect that what follows will be either a great age of order or one of great chaos."

"You must not slack off."

Gu Wei nodded slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "Your grandson understands."

"Remember never to grow arrogant," Gu Xi said again. "Bear in mind that there are always people greater than yourself."

Perhaps because he knew what the Han dynasty was about to face, this made Gu Xi place even greater emphasis on the education of the clan's sixth-generation children.

He would not let slip any opportunity to educate the younger generation.

"Grandfather may rest assured — your grandson will surely not fail Grandfather's hopes." Gu Wei nodded seriously and replied.

Afterward, Gu Xi asked Gu Wei again for his view on the matter.

Compared with Liu Bei's analysis, Gu Wei's was indeed more concrete.

This was perhaps because he was a child of the Gu clan.

He understood just how high the Gu clan's reputation in Jizhou truly was.

This time, Gu Xi did not say much more.

He merely listened to Gu Wei's repeated use of the word "bandits," and said lightly, "They are not bandits."

Gu Yi had been watching this scene the whole time, and felt a touch of surprise in his heart.

The Gu clan's sixth-generation children had now established some connection with Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and others — what wonderful use might this serve in the future?

His thoughts stirred, and his gaze immediately returned to Luoyang.

Perhaps it was truly because his performance had been too poor — Gu Chen was now the only one among the sixth-generation direct-line children to have been left behind in Luoyang.

His performance was truly terrible; even though he was nearly fifteen, the boy still showed no merits whatsoever.

Whether in study or in martial training.

He had not displayed a single merit; if one had to name the only difference, it was that he had become a normal person with slow reactions.

This left Gu Yi quite astonished.

Judging by the effect of the Longevity Card, a Profound-grade item's effect should not be limited to just this.

He had once observed Gu Chen carefully.

In truth, Gu Chen was already working extremely hard; he seemed to be aware of the gap between himself and the other scions of the clan.

In terms of effort, he far surpassed the others.

But even so, it had never let him see any obvious change — just how high were the attribute-growth requirements in all of this?

Gu Yi was equally unable to figure it out.

But it was obvious that if the clan scions amounted to nothing more than this, then this Gu Wei might well be his next target for manipulation.

The banks of the Zhanghe.

Dark clouds rolled in, churning like ink.

The gale howled, snapping the war banners of both armies so they cracked and fluttered.

The warhorses let out uneasy neighs, hooves pawing the ground and kicking up clouds of dust.

Across the entire banks of the Zhanghe, the aura of slaughter surged skyward.

Gu Xi would certainly not refuse Zhang Jiao.

Zhang Jiao needed this chance, but how could Gu Xi not need it as well?

If this one battle were won, the Yellow Turbans across the realm would surely be struck with dread, and then he could directly coordinate the four directions and do the things he had long wished to do.

This was a great battle that was destined to be unavoidable!

Gu Xi urged his horse forward and stood before the three armies, staring fixedly at the Huang Jin troops not far away.

His head of snow-white hair seemed to serve as some kind of signal, letting everyone clearly realize just who he was.

Sure enough, the very instant he appeared, an obvious commotion rose among the Huang Jin ranks.

The soldiers whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with awe and unease.

This was entirely their involuntary reaction.

Although it was quickly steadied, this little episode still intensified the unease in everyone's hearts.

And just at this moment, Gu Xi suddenly waved his hand.

The next instant, the officers and men behind him roared out in unison: "Lord Gu is here — how dare you not surrender!"

"Could it be that you do not fear the wrath of the heavens?"

Shout after shout, carried by the gusting wind, spread swiftly outward.

Like so many blades, they stabbed straight into the hearts of the Huang Jin troops.

Gu Xi was absolutely a qualified commander.

If one were to say that, back when he had first entered officialdom, Gu Xi still had a problem with pride.

After so many years of being battered by wind and rain, the man of today had long since become completely steady and composed.

He would not let slip a single opportunity.

Facing any opponent, he would do his utmost to perform at his best.

Sure enough, the moment these words were spoken.

The Huang Jin troops immediately fell into turmoil once more.

Zhang Jiao stared at Gu Xi from across the field, his eyes very bright, and likewise waved his hand and laughed loudly:

"Lord Gu, at this day and age, what more need be said?"

The fierce Huang Jin warriors behind him likewise roared out in unison.

Perhaps precisely because they were overly tense, every one of them put forth their full strength, their voices deafening!

Zhang Jiao stood there, staring fixedly at Gu Xi — staring at the vast host of troops behind him.

"The Blue Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise!"

Zhang Jiao spoke aloud to himself, slowly raising the nine-section staff in his hand before the three armies, and called out: "Of those standing here today, which one was not driven into a fiend by the Blue Heaven?"

"Lord Gu, you are a minister of the realm, and Jiao holds you in reverence as well!"

"Yet today's battle cannot be avoided."

Zhang Jiao drew a deep breath, and with a sudden snap tore the Five Emperors' Coins from around his neck — as though severing the last of his attachments — and declared in a ringing voice:

"Win or lose today, this poor Daoist means to make the world understand one truth, to make every lord in the court and every great clan in the land remember—"

"It is the starving dead of the world who are changing the Mandate of Heaven! It is the people with nowhere to turn who are raising up the Yellow Heaven! It is all the common folk of the world who want this rotten Han dynasty—"

He swung his staff forward sharply, the nine-section staff pointing at the heavens, "To meet! Death!"

He seemed to have planned all of this long ago, wanting to use Gu Xi to spread these words across the realm.

The shouts rose once more.

Cry after cry of "May the great Han go to its death" rang out across the whole of heaven and earth.

People are all influenced by their surroundings.

Amid those deafening shouts, quite a few of the more mentally fragile Huang Jin followers were truly stirred and moved.

Their morale was genuinely steadied.

Zhang Jiao wasted not a single moment, and immediately prepared to launch the attack.

But at that very instant.

Suddenly, shout after shout erupted violently from within the Huang Jin ranks.

"Lord Gu once showed my family a great kindness — how could I today raise blade and sword against Lord Gu?"

"Exactly! Which of us sons of Jizhou has not received the Gu clan's grace? If today we raise blade and sword against Gu, with what face shall we meet our ancestors in the nine springs below?"

"Fellow villagers — if we truly swung our blades at Lord Gu, would we still have any face to return to our hometowns?"

"."

These sudden shouts instantly stalled the morale that Zhang Jiao had just managed to rally.

This change far exceeds anything before.

For these Yellow Turbans, facing Gu Xi on the battlefield had already bred fear.

These words stirred up all other emotions buried in their hearts!

In an instant, the Huang Jin ranks plunged into chaos!

The number of these people increased visibly before the eyes, and some even threw down their weapons outright!

Who in all under heaven has not received Gu Xi's grace?

That was once a locust plague that spread across the Nine Provinces!

——The situation shifted instantly!

Lu Zhi instantly perceived the great upheaval within the Yellow Turbans; his expression grew complex: "Zhang Jue may be a rebel, but he is also a hero."

He sighed first, then bowed to Gu Xi: "Your Excellency's strategy, this subordinate deeply admires."

These people were all sent by him.

The Yellow Turbans had lax discipline; accomplishing these deeds was far too easy.

"Beat the drums."

Gu Xi's face showed no trace of joy; instead, he sighed softly, his expression tinged with pity, and said calmly: "Order the advance."

"Instruct the three armies: remember not to kill those who surrender."

"Focus on breaking the enemy's formation; never drive the common people to despair."

Lu Zhi did not hesitate; he immediately bowed and accepted the order, his voice resolute: "Yes!"

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The stirring sound of war drums erupted instantly.

This act undoubtedly deepened the internal chaos within the Yellow Turbans.

The next moment, the Han soldiers' charge rang out.

Behind Gu Xi, Gu Wei, Liu Bei, and others of younger age had already been rendered speechless by Zhang Jue's words.

"Wenyao," Gu Xi glanced at Gu Wei and asked: "Now, do you still regard them as bandits?"

Gu Wei remained silent.

And Liu Bei also stared intently at the Yellow Turbans, his bright eyes filled with profound complexity.

——————

In the sixth year of Jianning, Zhang Jue of Julu rebelled, defeated the Acting General Lu Zhi, captured Handan, severed the grain transport routes, and lost all commanderies of Jizhou.

Zhang Jue dispatched detachments to raid Henan and spy on Mengjin; the capital Luoyang trembled in fear.

At that time, Xi departed Luoyang and issued the "Memorial Against the Yellow Turbans," proclaiming to the provinces and commanderies: "Those who lay down arms and return to farming live; those who kill surrendering enemies shall be exterminated."

When the proclamation reached all under heaven, the Huang Jin ranks had already collapsed of their own accord.

Some soldiers burned their talismans at night, weeping: "In the days of the Wuan plague, Lord Gu saved my infant son—how could my blade now turn against my benefactor?"

They then shed their armor and fled south; daily, tens of thousands surrendered.

By the time Xi led his army to Ye, before he could even form ranks, the Yellow Turbans broke and fled at the mere sight.

On the outskirts of Handan, three thousand men laid down their weapons and knelt in rows, shouting: "We beg to serve Lord Gu as his servants!" Though Zhang Jue executed deserters and hung their heads from his banner, his army's morale was utterly shattered; within ten days, ten thousand defected to his side.

Zhang Jue, enraged, sent a letter challenging him to battle north of the Zhang River.

When the two armies faced each other, Xi, clad in white banners and black armor, stood mounted before the line.

From the Yellow Turbans, an old soldier stepped forward barefoot, baring his belly to show scars, weeping: "Years ago, I lay dying of illness; Lord Gu sent doctors and medicine—this body may shatter, but I will never strike against the Banner of Benevolence!"

With these words, he slashed his own throat; the entire army wept in anguish, spears and halberds falling to the ground like a forest.

Zhang Jue tried to rally his troops, but fleeing soldiers turned and seized his banner.

Xi raised his banner and ordered the advance; the Youzhou cavalry charged and tore through the enemy lines.

Zhang Jue's forces shattered completely; surrendering men filled the fields for thirty li, supply wagons clogged every path.

Zhang Jue realized the tide had turned beyond recovery and fled under cover of night with his remaining men.

Upon hearing this, all cities of Jizhou rose in revolt within ten days; thirty-seven counties returned to loyalty, their captured false officials bound and delivered in continuous procession.

When bandits of Qing and Xu heard of Zhang Jue's defeat, they tore their yellow banners, disbanded their bands, and returned to farming, saying: "Where Lord Gu's banner turns, there is Heaven's might!"

———《Hou Hanshu. Biography of Gu Xi》

(End of Chapter)